EXPLORE DC BY CAR

Carshare

A number of private companies provide cars for shared use throughout the city, based on a timed reservation system. Drivers are required to have a valid license and be pre-approved to participate.

ZipCar

Zipcar is the world’s largest carsharing service, providing convenient access to vehicles located around the city. Simply reserve cars by the hour or day, all for one low rate. Parking and gas are included.

car2go

Cars are available on the street and in designated lots around the city. Check out a car without a reservation and leave it in the Home Area when you’re done with it. Best for quick one-way trips in DC and Arlington.

Rideshare

Slugging

Slugging is an easy, informal way to carpool and take advantage of I-395/I-95 and I-66 HOV lanes between Northern Virginia and Washington, DC. Participants wait in line at designated pick-up locations to catch a carpool to a drop-off point.

Carpooling

Parking

Parking

The District offers a variety of parking, from on-street metered parking spaces to off-street parking garages and lots. However, demand for parking is very high, especially during rush hours, and planning your car trip and where to park ahead is highly recommended. Share the ride to split the cost of parking, use HOV lanes and skip traffic.

Commuter Lots (Park ‘N Ride Lots)

Commuter lots, also known as Park ‘N Ride lots, provide parking for commuters looking to carpool, catch a public bus or Metrorail into the city. Parking at these lots varies: some lots are free and some (like the WMATA Park ‘n Ride lots) offer daily or hourly parking options.

LEARN THE BASICS

Hail a Cab.

Hail a taxi, ride and pay with your smartphone by downloading the District’s official taxi app, DC Taxi. The app is available for download on both iOS and Android smartphones.

Share the Road.

Always signal your intentions and yield to pedestrians and cyclists, especially when making a turn or opening your door. Remember to keep a 3 foot distance between your car and cyclists.

Find Parking.

Your two best bets for parking in DC are parking garages and metered street parking. Check parking availability ahead of your trip to avoid circling the block and wasting fuel.

BLOCK BY BLOCK

Get to know the grid.

Did you know? DC’s streets are centered around the Capitol Building. Numbered streets run East and West, while lettered streets run North and South. That means every address has four possible locations: in NE, NW, SE or SW.

CARSHARE VS. RIDESHARE

Carsharing provides the independence of a car when you need it without the commitment and expenses of car ownership, like gas, monthly parking and insurance. In the District there are two companies that provide carsharing service: car2go and Zipcar. These companies make fleets of vehicles available to be checked out and shared by the public, in the same way that libraries make books available to be shared by members. Cars are picked up at designated locations and then—depending on the carsharing service provider—returned to the same location or dropped off near a driver’s destination.

When commuters share a ride in the same general direction, they are ridesharing. Participants may either begin and end the trip together, or take detours to pick up or drop off a passenger along the way. Slugging, carpooling and vanpooling are all forms of ridesharing. Providers like Lyft Line and uberPOOL offer on-demand ridehailing services that allow you to share a car with others who are going the same way.

Slugging is an easy, informal way to carpool and take advantage of I-395/I-95 and I-66 HOV lanes between Northern Virginia and Washington, DC. Participants (“slugs”) wait in line at designated pick-up locations to catch a carpool to a drop-off point. Both parties benefit—passengers get a free ride and drivers gain access to high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. The DC metro area has over 30 slug line locations. Explore pick-up/drop-off locations and plan your commute on the goDCgo Transit Map.

Carpooling is when two or more people drive together (share the same vehicle) to get to work. Carpools usually consist of individuals who live near each other and are employees of the same company (or are employees of different companies located only a short distance apart) and have the same work hours. Sometimes,carpoolers use personal vehicles to take turns driving. Need help finding other carpoolers? The Commuter Connections Ridematching Service connects people interested in carpooling with each other for free. Some employers also help to organize carpools and provide incentives for carpooling.

Vanpools are similar to carpools but, instead of personal vehicles, they use full-size vans or minivans that are provided and organized by a third party company (like VRide or Enterprise Rideshare). Vanpools carry between 7-15 passengers, usually commuting to the same location from a distance farther than 15 miles. Vanpoolers normally pay their share of the cost with pre-tax commuter benefits. Learn more on our commuter page.

HOW DO YOU DRIVE SMART IN DC?

I #DriveSmart in DC by

leaving the car at home as often as possible. Don’t even need it!

carpooling with my awesome co-workers!

slugging to save $$ and take advantage of HOV lanes.

using my commuter benefits on UberPOOL.

See what others are saying #DriveSmart

MAPS & TOOLS

Navigating traffic in the District can be challenging. Use these maps, apps, websites and tools to find parking and connections to area transit:

PARKING IN DC

METERED PARKING

There are 17,000 on-street metered spaces throughout the District of Columbia. Generally, the meters run from 7am-6:30pm Monday through Saturday; Although, in some areas where there is a high demand, they run until 10pm. Metered parking costs $2.30 an hour citywide and requires payment by coins, at the kiosk or by cell phone through Parkmobile. BROKEN PARKING METER? If you come across a broken parking meter, please notify DDOT by calling the Mayor’s Citywide Call Center at 311.

PARKING GARAGES

Parking garages in the District are privately owned and, therefore, not managed by DDOT. Most offer both daily and monthly parking. Find cheap and convenient parking with the following tools:

Parking Panda Select the space that works for you and view more details and photos. Pay for your space on the website or directly from your mobile phone.

Parkwhiz Find and book the best available parking at a discounted rate.

SpotHero Compare discounted parking rates and reserve guaranteed parking all over the city.

The Residential Permit Parking (RPP) program ensures zoned on-street parking for residents living on designated blocks. Parking is limited to two hours during the hours of operation for vehicles without the appropriate zone RPP sticker.

The Visitor Parking Pass (VPP) program allows guests of District residents to park for more than two hours on Residential Permit Parking or RPP-zoned blocks. Only certain Wards are eligible for the program and passes are only valid in the same RPP zone as the host’s residence.

DISABILITY PARKING The District has several programs intended to make parking more accessible to people with disabilities. These include reserved on-street parking, ADA accessible meters and spaces, and disability parking permits and tags. Learn more and download application forms at DDOT’s website.

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WAZE CARPOOL

Commute better by riding together!

It’s 2019 and time to upgrade your commute! Join your local Waze community of friends, neighbors, and coworkers who are better riding together. Save money, beat traffic, and be merry on your way to work or play.